Wins $50,000 Top Prize Playing Gimme 5 Scratch-off
Michael Spinnato retired not too long ago from BGE after 29 years of service. Since then, he has filled some of his spare time with visits to White Marsh Mall, where he meets to chit chat with friends and play the occasional Lottery game. This past Friday, he was engaging in his typical routine with some non-typical results.
“I bought several scratch-offs,” said Michael. “I won $45.” With those winnings, the 57-year-old father-of-two bought ten more instant tickets. He scratched the first five or six and, if his calculations are correct, it was the seventh or eighth ticket that made his day. “I started shaking,” said Michael. “I said to my buddy, ‘I think I just won $50,000.”
His buddy looked at the scratch-off and responded, “Yeah, you did.” Michael quickly called his wife who was at the doctor’s office with her mother. “I started crying,” said Kathleen, who accompanied her husband to Lottery Headquarters. “The doctor asked me if I was alright.”
Michael also shared the good news with the proprietor of the News Stand where he purchased his winning ticket. “He’s a great guy,” said Michael. The Spinnatos intend to give some of their winnings to their son and daughter. “They both said to me ‘you know I’m your favorite child,” Michael said with a chuckle. The couple’s grandchildren, four-year-old triplets, will also be taken care of. “We’ll do something good with this money,” said Kathleen. They will do something good for themselves too. Yesterday, the twosome booked a trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The winning ticket was purchased at the News Stand, located in White Marsh Mall, 8200 Perry Hall Blvd. in Nottingham.